Cast: Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Rao Ramesh, Thanikella Bharani, Murali Sharma, Subbaraju and others
Director: Harish Shankar
Allu Arjun and director Harish Shankar of Gabbar Singh fame have come together in Duvvada Jagannatham, which ran into some controversy as the Brahmin community objected to some words in a song which were later changed. Pooja Hegde is the female lead. Duvvada Jagannatham (Allu Arjun) is a Brahmin boy who runs a catering business. As he also wants to eliminate the bad people in society, he takes the job of an undercover cop and calls himself DJ. His uncle (Chandramohan) commits suicide because he lost all his money invested in a company called Agri Diamond, which suddenly shut down and was unable to return the money it owed its customers. Naturally DJ or Duvvada Jagannatham decides to take on the company’s owner Royyala Naidu (Rao Ramesh). The tussle between the two and how DJ wins over the villains forms a substantial part of the film.
Director Harish Shankar established himself as a top director and also a writer with Mirapakay and Gabbar Singh. After that he made the dud Ramayya Vastavayya and then changed to a safer subject for Subramanyam For Sale, which was a success. He continues to play safe in Duvvada Jagannatham. The central idea of the film is akin to Shankar’s Gentleman, where the protagonist is a Brahmin boy who fights against the corrupt education system. DJ fights against corrupt persons in society. The story is predictable, with no unexpected twists or turns. The real life Agri Gold scam that happened in Andhra Pradesh is not properly handled — treating it as entertaining strikes the wrong note. The dialogues, however, are good and one of the best scenes is in the second half when Allu Arjun unites Vennela Kishore and his wife who have decided to break up. More such emotional scenes were needed, but the director concentrates on entertainment instead.
Allu Arjun has played both sides of his character very well. Playing the Brahmin boy and getting the typical accent right must have been difficult, but he did it. He is a good dancer and does the same in this film too. Pooja Hegde is beautiful and glamorous. She adds much to the film and will surely rule Tollywood soon. Rao Ramesh is getting better with each film and his depiction of Royyala Naidu puts him in another league. The character’s get-up is taken from his father’s role in the film Aa Okkati Adakku, though they are different roles. He has already proved that he is one of the best character actors in the industry and this film is definitely a milestone for him. Subbaraju and Vennela Kishore provided a few laughs. Murali Sharma also does justice to his role as a cop. Music director Devi Sri Prasad is once again on top with this film, with some foot-tapping songs. The background music is good and the picturisation neat. Cinematographer Ayananka Bose captures the visuals in a grand manner. Art work by Ravinder Reddy is notable as everything looks natural, especially the catering at weddings scenes. Duvvada Jagannatham is a typical commercial entertainer with a routine story, and with Allu Arjun’s entertaining dialogues working for the film.
